NBA fans believe that Carmelo Anthony ‘s natural talent was so incredible that a one-year stint in college basketball was enough to make him compete against LeBron James for the ROTY award in 2003. However, many don’t know that the ten-time All-Star had no intention of entering the NBA that early.
Despite making a nationwide name for himself as a freshman, Melo was determined to return for his sophomore year until his coach, Jim Boeheim, firmly advised him to end those plans.
Carmelo was all set for his sophomore year
Making his debut for Syracuse University in the 2002-03 season, Anthony made an immediate impact. Carmelo led his team in scoring and rebounding with averages of 22.2 points and 10.0 rebounds per game, deservingly earning a place on the All-American Consensus First Team.
However, the Baltimore native wasn’t satisfied and decided to return for another year to improve his skills on the court and even enjoy his college life off it.
“I really wanted to come back though. Nah, I told Boeheim I was coming back. It wasn’t one-and-done,” Anthony said on his podcast. “So, for me… I was going to college, I’m going to hoop. I’m going to enjoy college.”